Thankfully, both of our Maryland senators supported these measures, while 46 senators, including 90 percent of Republicans, opposed requiring criminal background checks on sales at gun shows and online.

Even more elected officials opposed banning assault weapons or large-scale ammunition magazines. Most shockingly, 57 of elected officials voted to allow a person who receives a "right to concealed carry" license in rural Wyoming or Texas to carry a concealed weapon in downtown Washington or Baltimore.

This is the height of insanity. Those opposed to the legislation said it wouldn't stop a criminal from getting a gun. But Newtown, Conn., school shooter Adam Lanza was not a criminal. His mother had legally purchased the weapons he used.

We know how to eliminate such mass shootings: Outlaw assault weapons and large ammunition clips.

The most disturbing votes were those of the so-called moderates, who showed they are really extremists willing to do whatever the NRA says. Senators Mark Warner of Virginia and Joe Manchin of West Virginia both voted against the assault weapons and high-capacity magazine bans, and for the right-to-carry provision.

This shameful result does not need to be permanent. We must tell these so called "elected officials" to listen to America and strengthen our gun laws.

During the recent gubernatorial campaign, The Sun and several thoughtful citizens were perplexed about the discrepancy between the National Rifle Association's notorious A- rating for Larry Hogan and the candidate's repeated promise that he won't overturn Maryland's gun law if elected. In fact,...

The gun lobby's lawsuit against Maryland's life-saving Firearm Safety Act described in Saturday's front page article does not challenge the constitutionality of the key provision of the act — requiring handgun purchasers to first obtain a fingerprint based background check and license...

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While I agree with letter writer Pat Ranney that Baltimore has a serious gun violence problem, she is incorrectly placing blame on an inanimate object. Guns don't pull the trigger, people do ("Baltimore's violence won't end until we stand up to the gun lobby," Aug. 14).